It's poetic how in an age where televised cricket, and its attendant haste and excess, has become the core of how the game is viewed and played, the fastest century ever made in international cricket, the most TV-friendly innings of all time, doesn't have an iconic image associated with it, existing only in the mind, as some sort of platonic ideal of modern, consumer-friendly cricket.

It was the first time that the player in question had batted, but since then, each of the 441 times SMS Khan Afridi has walked out to bat in international cricket, all of us, and most of all him, have tried to relive that gloriously improbable memory.

While there isn't an image of that innings that defines Afridi, there are a plethora of images, ideas and imaginations of Afridi himself. It is difficult to think of a more consistently evocative player in the game, particularly when measured not in terms of perceptions of greatness but of impressions on fans. In fact, Afridi's purely cricketing abilities are almost ordinary, even embarrassing, for someone so popular.

His unprecedented ball-biting sent ad men from India to Australia into a frenzy. No other living being exists so pervasively in Pakistani advertising, simply because Afridi seems to fuel the nation's fantasies. He has even inspired a range of sporting goods. But then again, the lure of Afridi is not really just about the endorsements, is it?

In 2011, two Americans who had never known of any cricket outside the realm of entomology were given a recording of the India-Pakistan Mohali semi-final from the World Cup and asked to blog their experience of watching it. After about five hours of hilarious attempts at working out the rules and the narrative, one of them wrote: "Suddenly, out of nowhere, I am very much rooting for Pakistan. I want to see Shahid Afridi happy."

Gulshan-e-Iqbal's Golden Son has a habit of making men weak in the knees. Jarrod Kimber, who described his playing style as "an acid freak in a children's playground", has based his most erotically riotous writing on Lala. On Youtube, there is a shaky phone video of an elderly Pashtun man singing a song composed for Lala, in the manner previous generations would sing for their warriors. In shops across Karachi, the world's largest Pushtun city and Afridi's hometown, framed pictures of the owner with Afridi have taken on an almost totemic value. Lala lives in neon vehicular art, in spicy street slang, in gaudy SMS jokes. He is larger than life in a way few Pakistanis have ever been.

The prophetic Osman Samiuddin, writing just before Shahid Afridi embarked on the most successful spell of his 16-year career, said that the first innings Lala ever played - on that obscure ground in Kenya during a forgotten tournament - had come to "generally haunt" his career.

From 2005 till 2011 was a time when Afridi took the team to Test series wins, captained it to a semi-final, dragged it to another final, and in between won us our first major trophy in 17 years. During those resplendent years we strove to rationalise him as a cricketer, to label him as a bowler who occasionally batted, to reclaim him from the haunting image. But cricket, for all its wonder, couldn't contain the other-worldly persona it had generated for Lala, and neither could it deliver him from it. It needed something more.

In being the bearer of impossible expectations, Afridi the man and the cricketer paid a heavy price. But now in the twilight of his career, the legend of Boom Boom has found its new place, transcending its corporeal form

The film-maker Hasan Zaidi says it would be naive and premature to label the success of one film as the revival of Pakistani cinema. Despite much lamentation, the country's film industry, which has been in purgatory for two decades, never stopped releasing films, and even manages a hit once every few years, though Hasan maintains that "one blockbuster every three or four years does not a revival make". But despite his caution, he is among the countless many delighted by the prospects of a single film, Main Hoon Shahid Afridi (I am Shahid Afridi).

Like the man's batting, and in the grand tradition of masala films, the plot is ludicrous and predictable, and often folds over itself to provide contrived resolutions. There is unnecessary melodrama and sentimentality, and the female characters exist solely to throw masculinity into relief.

And yet in the best Boom Boom style, the film is relentlessly entertaining, running at a maniacal speed, chock-a-block with devilish charm and playful one-liners. Its handling of religion is a great example of its cheekiness - like the kiss Lala once blew Jacques Kallis. In a country where elected officials have been murdered for standing up for Christians, this film has a cross-religious buddy-story side narrative that's clumsy yet fearless. Shrewdly, the film packs a heavy dose of rich-villain-versus-poor-underdog drama, and it is loaded with cricket references ranging from Allen Stanford's chopper to Mohammad Asif being busted for drugs. Crucially, Afridi doesn't exist as a character at any point, serving instead as the basis upon which the film's fantasy takes root.

For me, as I watched the film and finally embraced the desi penchant for dancing and applauding in cinemas, it dawned upon me that we - the Boom Boom generation - had finally found a resolution for our superhero. For of course, the man, the idea, the image that has loomed for so long over our collective conscience was naturally, inevitably meant for this.

In an era of many volatile changes in Pakistan, Afridi stood as the one source of not hope, but of dreams, of fantasies, of improbabilities. In being the bearer of impossible expectations, in being the receptacle of millions of hopes, in existing as the one uniting symbol in a divided nation, Shahid Afridi the man and the cricketer paid a heavy price. But now in the twilight of his career, the legend of Boom Boom has found its new place, leaving behind its corporeal form and transcending onto celluloid.

This is Afridi as cinema.

Ahmer Naqvi is a journalist, writer and teacher. He writes on cricket for various publications, and co-hosts the online cricket show Pace is Pace Yaar. He tweets here

I m lucky that i grew up in an era where Afridi played....Whenever he comes to bat,we think and pray that he wins the match for us,sometimes he gifts us with awesome moments and sometimes,well,more often than not he breaks our heart..but the next match we again come up with the same thinking and prayers for him...That's Afridi for u...no matter how many times he fail..u just cannot stop loving him...

thE_baCk_beNcHer
on September 5, 2013, 18:29 GMT

Superbly written. Shahid Afridi his a charisma. We loved him... we love him.. and we will love him.. despite all of his weaknesses or whatever it is.. We enjoy him. Boom Boom give us hopes when he comes out to bat. suddenly our heartbeat changes. I'm blessed that I grew up in era where is enjoyed the legends of the game. off course afridi is a legend to us . HATS OFF for the column Mr. Ahmer. such a pleasure to read it. thanks

CharlesCrasto
on September 9, 2013, 18:06 GMT

The person is a mirror of who we really are as a nation. Afridi resembles our utter disregard for discipline. Afridi, like the most of us, deep down wants to be a team player, but like the rest of us, forgets what the team really requires at that moment. His 'ball-biting' and 'scuffing the pitch' antics reflect our desire to achieve the best result without working really hard, even though we may have the requisite talent that no one disputes. So that's the reason why we can relate to, and love him so much. He is really a manifestation of us as a nation.

on September 7, 2013, 17:05 GMT

Beautifully written sir.....DElighted to read.....

MAK123
on September 7, 2013, 7:53 GMT

His World T20 innings of 50-odd against SA seems like a dream, still. It was as if some hidden hand was playing it for him. He would play a lofted on in the deep and with it our hearts would sink but only to see it crossing the boundary. A true legend worthy of being part of the folk stories a hundred years from now.

asim229
on September 6, 2013, 16:43 GMT

We all saw how dull pakistan team looked without him in the champions trophy so only his presence in the team means a lot to the team.He is a bowling allrounder who is most of the time used as a hitter at no8 position so people shouldn't expect a lot from his batting.he did make some 50+ scores early in his career batting as an opener or one down but later he was not utilized as a batsmen properly and was batting most of the time at 8 or 9.

on September 6, 2013, 15:09 GMT

Very well written article.... There are so many great cricketers from Pakistan and all over the world but there is not match to Afridi.....He is a genuine crowd puller.....There are so many good innings from so many cricketers but some of afridi's innings over shadow them all.....and instead of all criticism against him he has got so many records against his names and I think the records which he got no one else can beat them in sha ALLAH......I guess cricket will b very boring the afridi leaves it................................

Khattak95
on September 6, 2013, 10:45 GMT

i occasionally saw the chrisma of Imran Khan as we were kids at his time, but he added to his charisma because of his good schooling n education, but Shahid Afridi is charismatic just because of his abilities in cricket, and is the most loving cricketer in nt only pakistan but all over the globe.

6off6
on September 6, 2013, 10:37 GMT

I was 11 when Afridi came to the cricket scene. At that time there wasn't one fan as die hard as me of him! I used to watch cricket to see Afridi bat only, and had no interest remained once he used to get out. AND... then I grew up and started liking better players. Cheeers!

on September 6, 2013, 10:12 GMT

Just tell me on player who has made the Impact like Shahid Afridi?
Tell me a Name Who has lured the crowd like Shahid afridi?
Tell me a Player For Whome Tha Nation has prayed an lived every ball with him beside him?
When He Succeeded at something we all thought that we Achieved something ourselves. there won't be another Afridi, but Afridi Himself Will Live Forever In Our Hearts In Our minds, whenever we watch cricket we'll remember Him With a Smile On Our Face With a tear in our eyes.

Nayel_19
on September 5, 2013, 19:48 GMT

I m lucky that i grew up in an era where Afridi played....Whenever he comes to bat,we think and pray that he wins the match for us,sometimes he gifts us with awesome moments and sometimes,well,more often than not he breaks our heart..but the next match we again come up with the same thinking and prayers for him...That's Afridi for u...no matter how many times he fail..u just cannot stop loving him...

thE_baCk_beNcHer
on September 5, 2013, 18:29 GMT

Superbly written. Shahid Afridi his a charisma. We loved him... we love him.. and we will love him.. despite all of his weaknesses or whatever it is.. We enjoy him. Boom Boom give us hopes when he comes out to bat. suddenly our heartbeat changes. I'm blessed that I grew up in era where is enjoyed the legends of the game. off course afridi is a legend to us . HATS OFF for the column Mr. Ahmer. such a pleasure to read it. thanks

CharlesCrasto
on September 9, 2013, 18:06 GMT

The person is a mirror of who we really are as a nation. Afridi resembles our utter disregard for discipline. Afridi, like the most of us, deep down wants to be a team player, but like the rest of us, forgets what the team really requires at that moment. His 'ball-biting' and 'scuffing the pitch' antics reflect our desire to achieve the best result without working really hard, even though we may have the requisite talent that no one disputes. So that's the reason why we can relate to, and love him so much. He is really a manifestation of us as a nation.

on September 7, 2013, 17:05 GMT

Beautifully written sir.....DElighted to read.....

MAK123
on September 7, 2013, 7:53 GMT

His World T20 innings of 50-odd against SA seems like a dream, still. It was as if some hidden hand was playing it for him. He would play a lofted on in the deep and with it our hearts would sink but only to see it crossing the boundary. A true legend worthy of being part of the folk stories a hundred years from now.

asim229
on September 6, 2013, 16:43 GMT

We all saw how dull pakistan team looked without him in the champions trophy so only his presence in the team means a lot to the team.He is a bowling allrounder who is most of the time used as a hitter at no8 position so people shouldn't expect a lot from his batting.he did make some 50+ scores early in his career batting as an opener or one down but later he was not utilized as a batsmen properly and was batting most of the time at 8 or 9.

on September 6, 2013, 15:09 GMT

Very well written article.... There are so many great cricketers from Pakistan and all over the world but there is not match to Afridi.....He is a genuine crowd puller.....There are so many good innings from so many cricketers but some of afridi's innings over shadow them all.....and instead of all criticism against him he has got so many records against his names and I think the records which he got no one else can beat them in sha ALLAH......I guess cricket will b very boring the afridi leaves it................................

Khattak95
on September 6, 2013, 10:45 GMT

i occasionally saw the chrisma of Imran Khan as we were kids at his time, but he added to his charisma because of his good schooling n education, but Shahid Afridi is charismatic just because of his abilities in cricket, and is the most loving cricketer in nt only pakistan but all over the globe.

6off6
on September 6, 2013, 10:37 GMT

I was 11 when Afridi came to the cricket scene. At that time there wasn't one fan as die hard as me of him! I used to watch cricket to see Afridi bat only, and had no interest remained once he used to get out. AND... then I grew up and started liking better players. Cheeers!

on September 6, 2013, 10:12 GMT

Just tell me on player who has made the Impact like Shahid Afridi?
Tell me a Name Who has lured the crowd like Shahid afridi?
Tell me a Player For Whome Tha Nation has prayed an lived every ball with him beside him?
When He Succeeded at something we all thought that we Achieved something ourselves. there won't be another Afridi, but Afridi Himself Will Live Forever In Our Hearts In Our minds, whenever we watch cricket we'll remember Him With a Smile On Our Face With a tear in our eyes.

DataQue
on September 6, 2013, 9:35 GMT

Well said! Absolutely: Afridi is an ICON and a legend in the cricket world!!!

on September 6, 2013, 9:25 GMT

ahmar thanks for a master piece on afridi :)

on September 6, 2013, 7:32 GMT

Beautiful piece on Afridi. He's such a character on the field and off the field!
Boom Boom!

biloo007
on September 6, 2013, 5:01 GMT

AFRIDI,,,,there will be no one like him to replace him in upcoming centuries,,decades,,believe me ,,,there is only one AFRIDI in cricket world,,,DARLING OF THE CROWD.

on September 6, 2013, 2:06 GMT

10 years time when i have kids and they ask me who was the greatest cricketer i will say Shahid Afridi. There will never be another.

orangtan
on September 5, 2013, 23:39 GMT

A "perfect storm" blend of breathtaking ability, albeit sporadic, and matinee idol looks, it's his army of female fanatics who have inspired him to superhuman feats

DaGameChanger
on September 5, 2013, 21:18 GMT

Shahid Afridi as a super-hero equals Death of Pakistan cricket.

Nayel_19
on September 5, 2013, 19:48 GMT

I m lucky that i grew up in an era where Afridi played....Whenever he comes to bat,we think and pray that he wins the match for us,sometimes he gifts us with awesome moments and sometimes,well,more often than not he breaks our heart..but the next match we again come up with the same thinking and prayers for him...That's Afridi for u...no matter how many times he fail..u just cannot stop loving him...

thE_baCk_beNcHer
on September 5, 2013, 18:29 GMT

Superbly written. Shahid Afridi his a charisma. We loved him... we love him.. and we will love him.. despite all of his weaknesses or whatever it is.. We enjoy him. Boom Boom give us hopes when he comes out to bat. suddenly our heartbeat changes. I'm blessed that I grew up in era where is enjoyed the legends of the game. off course afridi is a legend to us . HATS OFF for the column Mr. Ahmer. such a pleasure to read it. thanks

DaGameChanger
on September 5, 2013, 21:18 GMT

Shahid Afridi as a super-hero equals Death of Pakistan cricket.

orangtan
on September 5, 2013, 23:39 GMT

A "perfect storm" blend of breathtaking ability, albeit sporadic, and matinee idol looks, it's his army of female fanatics who have inspired him to superhuman feats

on September 6, 2013, 2:06 GMT

10 years time when i have kids and they ask me who was the greatest cricketer i will say Shahid Afridi. There will never be another.

biloo007
on September 6, 2013, 5:01 GMT

AFRIDI,,,,there will be no one like him to replace him in upcoming centuries,,decades,,believe me ,,,there is only one AFRIDI in cricket world,,,DARLING OF THE CROWD.

on September 6, 2013, 7:32 GMT

Beautiful piece on Afridi. He's such a character on the field and off the field!
Boom Boom!

on September 6, 2013, 9:25 GMT

ahmar thanks for a master piece on afridi :)

DataQue
on September 6, 2013, 9:35 GMT

Well said! Absolutely: Afridi is an ICON and a legend in the cricket world!!!

on September 6, 2013, 10:12 GMT

Just tell me on player who has made the Impact like Shahid Afridi?
Tell me a Name Who has lured the crowd like Shahid afridi?
Tell me a Player For Whome Tha Nation has prayed an lived every ball with him beside him?
When He Succeeded at something we all thought that we Achieved something ourselves. there won't be another Afridi, but Afridi Himself Will Live Forever In Our Hearts In Our minds, whenever we watch cricket we'll remember Him With a Smile On Our Face With a tear in our eyes.

6off6
on September 6, 2013, 10:37 GMT

I was 11 when Afridi came to the cricket scene. At that time there wasn't one fan as die hard as me of him! I used to watch cricket to see Afridi bat only, and had no interest remained once he used to get out. AND... then I grew up and started liking better players. Cheeers!

Khattak95
on September 6, 2013, 10:45 GMT

i occasionally saw the chrisma of Imran Khan as we were kids at his time, but he added to his charisma because of his good schooling n education, but Shahid Afridi is charismatic just because of his abilities in cricket, and is the most loving cricketer in nt only pakistan but all over the globe.